A University of New Hampshire physics student has won a Barry M. Goldwater scholarship—one of only two New Hampshire students to do so—the Goldwater Foundation has announced.

Michael Antosh, a junior from Wakefield, R.I., was selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,081 mathematics, science and engineering students nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

Antosh has conducted undergraduate research with UNH Physics Professor Bill Hersman, who has spun a private company called Xemed out of his research into polarizing xenon gas for use in lung MRIs. Antosh will conduct related research during a summer internship at Cornell University.

“My career goal as a scientist is significantly to better the world. Medical physics is my current idea of how to do this, although someday I want to teach at a college as my father does,” Antosh wrote in his scholarship application. “I hope that with a degree in applied physics, I will be able to apply my knowledge of ‘the science of sciences’ toward new devices and new processes that will help to treat illnesses worldwide.”

The Goldwater Foundation awarded 323 scholarships for the 2006-2007 academic year to undergraduate sophomores and juniors from the United States. The only other recipient with New Hampshire ties is Frederick Hitti, a student at Dartmouth College.

Benjamin MacBride of Stratham, another UNH physics junior, received a Goldwater Honorable Mention. “The national competition for the Goldwater Scholarship is very intense,” said Robert Stiefel, coordinator and advisor of UNH’s Fellowships Office. “It is an extraordinary tribute to the academic achievements of our undergraduates and to the excellence of our faculty that the Goldwater Foundation recognized two of our students in the same year.”

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry M. Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate. The purpose of the foundation is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue careers in these fields.